One national football phone-in was greeted by a Manchester City supporter after the final day of the season who had phoned in to express his disappointment at the Premier League champions.
Pep Guardiola's side may have just wrapped up their fifth title in six years, but the caller had wanted them to finish their season with a win. It was pointed out by the hosts that it isn't the end of the season because they are two games away from the Treble - something only done once before in English football - but that did not stop the fan worrying about if momentum had been lost in recent results.
It is true that City lost their winning streak and then their unbeaten streak this week at Brighton and Brentford, and while it takes some effort to ring in and complain about this Blues team when they stand on the verge of history there will be other fans worrying about momentum. Should City come up short against United this weekend, it is an easy thing to say that rhythm had been lost even if nobody can know how true it is.
Also read: Phil Foden sends Pep Guardiola message ahead of Man City finals
There are a few concerns over the fact that Jack Grealish and Ruben Dias haven't trained since the title celebrations, and other first-team regulars have barely played. Given those two in particular have excellent fitness levels though, it is hard not to think that three days of training when they return from their break on Wednesday will still leave doubts going into Saturday.
Then there are the things gained from rotation in the last three games for Guardiola, which principally concern Phil Foden. Away from the battle for two places between Manu Akanji, Nathan Ake, and Kyle Walker, Foden is the name that contains the most intrigue.
City have played brilliantly with Bernardo Silva and Grealish on the wings, yet if there is one player that could come in for a specific gameplan Foden is the one with the talent to do it. City need the best version of Foden mind, but the player reckons he has reached that again after being allowed to play himself into rhythm.
Even if Guardiola does not start Foden or Ake, the manager must know that they can be flying enough to have an impact in the game as the attackers did in the final moments against Real Madrid. With Julian Alvarez playing well against Chelsea, that is another positive that guarantees the manager an option off the bench for the two finals.
It is impossible to know the impact of giving so much rest to so many of the expected starting XI for these two finals until the first whistle goes at Wembley. However, by making the decisions he has in the final three Premier League games Guardiola can say that he knows exactly how many players in the squad he can rely on.
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